Entire town blanketed in 20mph speed limit for UK trial - this is what happened
Residents in a town chosen to trial a 20mph speed limit trial have voiced their relief at the move.
The Welsh Government picked eight places to introduce the blanket 20mph speed limit, including Buckley in Flintshire, North Wales. The policy has seen widespread criticism with some drivers calling "totally pointless" earlier this month. But those living in Buckley, a former mining and pottery town, have praised the decision. Locals were calling for measures to tackle speeding last year, and many felt they had not been listened to by the authorities.
One resident told North Wales Live: "When it was first implemented round here we all saw a sharp rise in road rage, struggling to get up hills and long convoys. Some amazing people did try to raise awareness of what was coming but media outlets were only keen to show positives. In general, most want to see 20mph around schools and housing estates but not a blanket 20 everywhere."
But Martyn Coldray described the rollout and implementation as a "fiasco". He added: "I have cruise control with auto braking which brings on my rear brakes only and they are already 0.2mm more worn than the front. Did the Welsh Government even ask vehicle manufacturers about the damage that will be caused to our vehicles in such a hilly area of Wales? Did they even think about the extra cost in fuel?"
An Arriva bus driver, who asked to remain anonymous feared the impact on public transport. He claimed: "We have lost endless hours in either buses having to be dropped from service or running severely late, costing the company a huge wage bill after having to pay bus drivers overtime for finishing late. This is only the first week of this blanket 20mph so I imagine things will only get worse."
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A fourth resident, a healthcare worker who did not want to be named, offered cautious support for the new policy. They said: "Initially, drivers appeared to slow down slightly but within a few weeks it felt to me that about 90 per cent of people didn't engage with the new speed limit. One positive is that generally much fewer people appeared to be going above 30mph.
But they did express concern about the Welsh Government's failure to build a consensus: "My gripe is the trial was foisted on us. They didn't do an air pollution survey prior to the trial so have nothing to compare it to, and my revs are higher, my car noisier having to travel at 20mph. I've not seen an increase in cyclists or pedestrians. I will be taking longer to get to my clients in the community and in hospitals, less time to actually carry out my assessments."
"Fancy trying to get people out of their cars without the infrastructure to allow people to make the changes they are aiming for. Maybe they should have gone down to 25mph instead, I think the public may have got on board with this more."
Lynn Kennedy said: "Around schools it makes sense, but not main roads. I keep hearing arguments that it's safer for pedestrians. My question is though, weren't roads built for cars and pavements for pedestrians though?"
"When the trial hit Buckley, six months in I faced massive repairs to my car as the filters were clogged. It's disastrous for Wales, people will stop visiting and those who relay on tourism revenue will suffer."
Deputy climate change minister Lee Waters, the minister responsible for the policy will face a vote of no confidence in the Senedd. A vote has been tabled by the Welsh Conservatives and will take place on Wednesday, September 27.
The Welsh Government insists that the new 20mph limits will cut road accidents and, in their first year of operation, save the NHS around £92 million as people are are around five times more likely to be killed when hit at 30mph that at 20mph. When the First Minister was asked if he had any plans to look again at the policy this week he answered simply and clearly - "No."
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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